


Living in the Aftermath

by Suukarin



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Drabble Collection, Gen, I Am Not The Spirit-Verse, M/M, Multi, Occasional Mentions of Other Ships, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-29
Updated: 2014-08-12
Packaged: 2018-01-26 23:45:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 9,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1706966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suukarin/pseuds/Suukarin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Ryou has left to remember the spirit is a man who happens to share his name. (Post-canon gemshipping collection. Currently in the process of moving previously-written entries to here.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Amane

Of all the unsavory habits the man had picked up from the spirit (which is how Ryou interprets it — the spirit came _first_ in his life, the man second), Ryou didn’t think he’d have to worry about “Bakura” going through his things in his absence.

“I thought I asked you to stay out of my room when I’m gone,” he huffs, tossing his backpack to the floor before collapsing face-down on his bed. “It’s really the only thing I ask of you, I don’t even complain anymore when I find new things in the apartment…”

“Bakura” doesn’t respond, still sitting cross-legged on top of Ryou’s desk.

Ryou turns his head away from the blankets, and spots a stack of loose paper in the dark-skinned man’s hands.

“What are you reading, anyway?” he asks, rolling onto his back.

“Who’s Ah-main?”

It takes a moment for the name to register, but when it does, Ryou flies from his bed to snatch the papers from the other man’s hands.

“How did you find these?!” he demands, clutching the sheets tightly against his chest.

“You seem to keep forgetting that they called me ‘Thief King’ for a reason,” “Bakura” drawls, lips twisted into a smirk. “So, who’s Ah-main?”

_“Amane,”_ Ryou corrects, voice terse as he sits back on the edge of his bed — putting as much distance between them as he can. “And it’s none of your business who she is.”

“Maybe I’ll make it my business,” the dark-skinned man sneers, placing his hands squarely on his knees. “I remember seeing something in there about you being her brother? I _did_ read that, didn’t I?”

Ryou stays silent, head bowed.

“You know, it’s not nice to write all those nice letters and never _send_ them,” “Bakura” continues, mockery dripping from his words. “I’m sure she’d _love_ to hear about her dear brother—”

“They won’t reach her, where she is.”

Ryou’s words cast a silence that endures even when the other man finally slides off his desk.

For a moment, he thinks — hopes, really — that “Bakura” will leave the room, but still doesn’t look up even as he feels the mattress dip beside him.

For the first time, he notices a warmth radiating from the man that never did from the spirit of the Ring.

“How old were you?” “Bakura” asks, in a way that tells Ryou that he’s unfamiliar with comforting others.

“I… I’ve been writing letters to her since… since I was seven,” Ryou admits, despite asking himself what business it is of this man with the spirit’s name. “Usually I write… maybe twice a month? Sometimes more.”

The ensuing silence makes him fidget.

“I — I don’t care if you think it’s childish, or a ‘waste of effort,’” he continues, feeling the heat rise to his face. “Wh-why would it even matter to you what I—”

Ryou suddenly finds his face pressed hard against “Bakura’s” exposed chest, held there by a strong hand.

“Ba— Bakura—?”

“Shut up,” “Bakura” growls, his hold softening as he begins to stroke Ryou’s hair. “Just… shut up.”

After a moment, Ryou finally lets himself relax against the other man’s body, eyes closing as he feels the ring-covered hand caressing his hair.

“Idiot,” he hears the other man mutter before “Bakura” rests his chin on Ryou’s head. “You would never have survived in my time.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’m not in your time,” the light-skinned man replies, voice muffled by “Bakura’s” chest.

“Bakura” chuckles, moving to wrap both arms around Ryou.

There’s a comfort in the hold that he never found in the spirit’s arms.


	2. Scars

“Did it hurt?”

“Huh?”

Ryou sighs, squirming a bit where he sits.

“Quit fidgeting,” “Bakura” snaps, pausing his push-ups until the light-skinned man stops moving on his back. “Either sit still or get off, it’s painful enough that you’re bony.”

“Sorry,” Ryou mutters as he feels “Bakura” start moving again. “Anyway. Your scar.”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Well, did it hurt when you got it? How did you get it?”

“Of course it _hurt,_ ” “Bakura” scoffs. “And it’s none of your business how I got it. You probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you, anyway.”

Ryou places a hand over his chest, and feels the bumps of his own scars through his thin shirt.

“I might,” he finally mutters, voice soft.

“Bakura” snorts, pausing just long enough to change his flat hands into fists.

“What even makes you ask, anyway?” he asks.

“Curiosity, I suppose,” Ryou shrugs. “I was wondering if something significant caused it, but the spirit never mentioned having a scar—”

He narrowly catches himself before he’s thrown into the coffee table.

_“Out,”_ “Bakura” snarls, resetting his push-up posture. _“Now.”_

Ryou scrambles to his feet, scurrying out of the room.


	3. Petulance

“You made him taller than me.”

Ryou looks up from his work to find “Bakura” holding two of his figures side by side.

“Made who taller?” he asks, setting down his paintbrush. “You’ll have to be more—”

“ _Him,_ ” “Bakura” spits, thrusting the two figures out for Ryou to see. “ _Look._ ”

The light-skinned man takes them and sets them down next to each other, setting his chin on the desk to look carefully.

“Huh. So you’re right,” he eventually says, leaning back before tapping his finger against the Atem figure. “I’m surprised he didn’t catch that when he had me make them.”

“ _Change it,_ ” “Bakura” demands, teeth bared. “I _know_ you can.”

“I’m busy repairing the _rest_ of the diorama,” Ryou frowns, turning back to the miniature rendition of the inn he’d been repainting. “If anything _doesn’t_ need repairing, it’s the figures themselves. Now _please,_ let me work in _peace._ ” 

With a scowl, “Bakura” snatches up the figures with one hand before storming out.

A minute later, Ryou can hear the crack of a lead figure snapping in half. 

"Looks like you’ll have to _‘fix’_ the Pharaoh’s figure,” “Bakura” calls from the other room. “Or you could leave it as it is, it’s not like he needs his head…” 

Ryou sets down the paintbrush again to hold his head in his hands. 


	4. "Fashion"

He pauses in the doorway, gaze fixed on the wide-eyed Ryou by the bed.

“I — I didn’t mean to — I’m sorry, I-I know I should have stayed out,” Ryou finally stammers, awkwardly trying to dig out from the folds of the red cloak. “I-It’s just, I was looking   
for something here, and — you were gone, and it was—”

The light-skinned man’s words slowly trail into silence as “Bakura” approaches him, a scowl on his dark face.

“…it was just… lying out… and I just wanted to try it on…”

Ryou glances away — waiting, “Bakura” doesn’t doubt, for him to snap about “demanding privacy, then not respecting it.”

He carefully examines the light-skinned man, and his scowl darkens.

“You look absurd.”

Ryou looks up.

“Wh-What?”

“Stop shrinking yourself,” “Bakura” snaps, straightening the shoulders of his cloak on Ryou’s body. “If you’re going to wear this, you have to have presence.”

“…what, like — like this?”

Ryou stands tall, trying to puff out his chest a bit.

“Bakura” shakes his head, hiding a grin before he reaches to peel the cloak off Ryou’s body.

“What were you looking for, anyway?” he asks, ignoring the defeated expression on the other man’s face.

“Oh, I was looking for some of my paints. I thought I’d check to see if any of them wound up in here before I go to replace them…”

“Bakura” tunes out Ryou’s words as he hangs up his cloak once more, lost in the thought of how much better the light-skinned man would look in the cloak without a shirt underneath to cover his soft body.


	5. Guts (1/3)

“Do you stand up for yourself for _anything?_ ” 

Ryou glances up to see “Bakura” leering from across the dining table, face set in a scowl.

“What… what do you mean?” the light-skinned man asks, holding his place in his book with an index finger.

“Do you _like_ it when people just — just walk all over you?” “Bakura” demands yet again. “Don’t pretend you let me get away with half the shit I do just because you pretend I’m ‘your’ damn spirit. I would _never_ let anyone get away with _any_ of it if I were in your shoes.”

“Well then, I suppose it’s good for you that I’m not you,” Ryou replies coolly, opening his book again and continuing to read.

For several long moments, the dark-skinned man is silent, glaring as the younger man slips back into the world of his novel.

He’s plucked forcefully from it again when “Bakura” snatches the book from his hands.

”H-Hey!” Ryou cries, scrambling to his feet as the Egyptian marches towards the living room, book in tow. “Give that back to me!”

“Come and take it back,” “Bakura” snaps, opening a window. “You have ’til three…”

“No, don’t — don’t throw it out the window, please—!”

“Two.”

“Bakura, just give it _back!”_

_“One.”_

“What do you even have to prove by throwi—”

With a casual flick, “Bakura” flings the book out the window, slamming the glass shut shortly thereafter.

“You didn’t even _try,_ ” the dark-skinned man scowls, storming out of the living room and past the horrified Ryou. “I’m going for a walk.”

Ryou says nothing — only slowly approaches where “Bakura” had been standing, and ignores the front door opening and closing again.


	6. Not Him (2/3)

“What the _hell_ did you do?!”

“Bakura” pauses, letting the front door swing shut behind him.

“You’re going to have to be more specific,” he drawls, brushing past Ryou on his way to the living room. “I’ve done a lot of things that are worthy of reproach.”

“You know full well what I’m talking about, Bakura!” Ryou shouts, following the dark-skinned man.

“Did you never find that book? Fine, I’ll replace it for you—”

“Yugi just called me — do you have _any_ idea how much it’s going to cost to replace the teeth you knocked out!?”

“Oh. _That._ ”

From the corner of his eye, “Bakura” vaguely notices Ryou’s clenched fists tremble.

“Just — _why?!_ ” the light-skinned man demands, his whole body now shaking. “Why did you do that?! You had _no reason!_ You—”

“I think looking like _that_ bastard is reason enough for me to want to punch anyone,” “Bakura” snaps, the forced-lighthearted expression on his face vanishing.

“Yugi isn’t the Pharaoh! You can’t treat him like the Pharaoh just because he looks—”

Ryou chokes on his words as “Bakura” whirls around, grabbing the collar of his shirt and jerking him forward.

“ _Say that to my face,_ ” he snarls, looming over the light-skinned man and baring his teeth.

“You… you heard me!” Ryou snaps back, his expression flickering only briefly before it too settles to a scowl. “Just because he looks like someone you used to hate doesn’t mean he _is_ that person! You can’t treat them the same way!”

“That’s _rich,_ coming from you!” “Bakura” barks, a dark, hateful laugh briefly escaping his lips. “ _You’re_ one to talk about ‘different people,’ when you still see that damn spirit every time you look at me!”

“N—No I don’t—”

“Do you ever realize that _I’m_ the one standing here?! _Me!_ A living person, a _flesh-and-blood body!_ But every time you look at me, you see _him_ instead—!”

“ _Shut up!_ ”

With poor form, Ryou slams his fist into “Bakura’s” jaw, forcing the dark-skinned man to stagger back.

“Shut up, shut _up!_ ” he cries, face twisted as he continues to slam his fists against “Bakura’s” chest. “You don’t know _anything!_ You don’t—!”

“ _Enough!_ ”

Ryou crumples to the ground, vaguely feeling a stinging sensation radiating on the side of his face.

“Don’t you _dare_ tell me what I don’t understand,” “Bakura” seethes, fists clenched. “Don’t. You even. _Dare._ ”

Ryou pulls himself back to his feet, but fixes his gaze on “Bakura”, eyes narrowed.

“What’s the matter?” the dark-skinned man sneers, face still twisted in a scowl. “Don’t have a response for me this time?”

He stares at “Bakura” for a moment, completely still, before finally turning and walking out.

“Bakura” can only bring himself to stare blankly as the light-skinned man storms out of the apartment, slamming the front door shut behind him.

It takes him a minute to realize how empty the apartment is without Ryou.


	7. Apologies (3/3)

“ _There_ you are. I was looking all over for you.”

Ryou says nothing, staring out into the ocean even as “Bakura” walks up behind him.

“I didn’t think you’d make it this far on foot,” “Bakura” admits, his own gaze fixed on the setting sun. “You must’ve been pretty pissed, huh?”

When he receives no response, he sits in the sand next to Ryou and waits, unmoving, in silence.

“…I didn’t think you’d find me all the way out here,” Ryou finally admits, his voice hardly more than a whisper.

“I might’ve found you faster if you taught me how to use one of those car things,” “Bakura” replies, cracking a faint grin before nudging Ryou with his elbow.

“Yes, that’s exactly what we both need — for you to know how to use a death trap on wheels.”

“Bakura” chuckles, and even Ryou manages a brief smile.

“I… may have reacted badly back home,” the light-skinned man admits, straightening his back while looking down at his lap. “I — I’m sorry. Especially for punching you.”

“Wasn’t much of a punch,” “Bakura” shrugs, briefly rubbing his jaw.

“It’s just—” Ryou continues, ignoring the dark-skinned man’s response. “You… you were right. About all of it. I really… have no place yelling at you about — about treating Yugi like the Pharaoh, when I keep looking at you and seeing… _him._ ”

He waits for some response — anything — but “Bakura” sits in silence.

“It’s… it’s just…” he eventually continues, “he… he was there — in my life, in my head — since I was _five._ And then he disappeared, and... and _you_ came along, and —”

“Shut up.”

Ryou feels “Bakura’s” arms wrap around him, pulling him into the dark-skinned man’s lap and holding him against his body.

“Stop talking before you ruin it,” he mutters, resting his chin on top of Ryou’s head. “Before you piss me off again.”

After a moment, Ryou sighs, allowing himself to sink into “Bakura’s” embrace.

“Alright.”


	8. Remake

After four days of not seeing Ryou, he picks the lock to the work room and slips in.

“Idiot,” “Bakura” snaps as his eyes fall on Ryou’s unconscious body slumped over the table, paintbrush still in hand. “I can’t be taking care of both of us all the time!”

Ryou only lets out a soft, sleepy groan as “Bakura” approaches the work table, stepping over the buildings disconnected from the diorama.

“You and your _projects,_ ” the dark-skinned man mutters, starting to haul the other man out of his chair. “Sometimes I wonder if you… hm?”

He pauses, then sets Ryou back down and kneels in front of the table, squinting slightly.

The figurines of the Pharaoh and all his priests are lined up on the desk, standing next to their copies — the task that’s kept Ryou occupied this time, “Bakura” figures. With a scowl, he flicks the head off of Atem’s broken figure once more before examining the new ones more carefully.

The new ones are all the same height, it seems – or just about, before things like the Pharaoh’s hair and Priest Set’s headwear add the illusion of tallness. There are even new figures of Ryou’s friends from school.

The only one that seems to be missing, “Bakura” notices, is his.

“Hey. Wake up.”

With a low groan, Ryou opens his eyes for a moment, then closes them again as tight as he can.

“What do you want?” he grumbles, shaking “Bakura’s” arm off his shoulder before pushing himself off the table. “I’m busy…”

“Where the hell is mine?” “Bakura” demands, pointing to the figures lined up on the table. “You made new ones for everyone else, so where am I? You’ve had four days to make it; you should have done mine first!”

“Stop shouting… you’re hurting my ears. I made yours; I just haven’t painted it yet. Hang… hang on, it’s here somewhere…”

Ryou shuffles around some paint bottles on his desk before finding the figure, setting it in front of the ones already lined up.

“There. You.”

“Bakura” stares at it, eyes wide.

“You…”

“I’ll — I’ll paint it today, I promise,” Ryou mumbles, head drooping as he speaks and snapping back up. “I just had to get the others done first, so that I could, uh…”

“You made me… taller.”

“Bakura” picks up the Atem figure’s severed head and clumsily sets it back on its shoulders before taking his own figure and placing it in front of both Pharaohs.

“I thought that’s what you wanted?” Ryou asks, rubbing his eyes. “You said you were taller than him.”

“Than the Pharaoh, yeah,” the dark-skinned man nods. “But… you made me taller than… all of them? Even the Priests…?”

“Did I… do something wrong?”

“Bakura” stands silently for a long moment, hand still lightly resting over his figure.

“You should go to bed,” he finally murmurs, turning towards Ryou and carefully helping him out of the chair. “Come on.”

“Ah?” Ryou blinks, shakily rising to his feet. “Wait, I — I’m not done, I still need to paint your—!”

He gasps as “Bakura” literally scoops him up, carrying the light-skinned man as if he were nothing.

“You’ve done enough for now,” he murmurs, pressing his lips to Ryou’s temple. “Come on.”


	9. Preoccupation

“You’re thinking about something like that _now?_ I don’t know what to do with you half the time…”

Ryou sighs, nuzzling further into “Bakura’s” arms.

“Well, it’s true,” he says, tracing small circles on the dark-skinned man’s chest with a pale finger. “You’ve never called me by my name…”

“Because I don’t _have_ to,” “Bakura” responds, a crooked grin on his face as he strokes Ryou’s hair. “You’re the only person I talk to. Why would I need to use names?”

“I call you by _your_ name.”

“Yes, but I don’t _make_ you say my name.”

Ryou feels the hand on his hair grab, then slowly pull his head back.

“Not _usually,_ anyway,” “Bakura” purrs, briefly licking his lips.

For a brief moment, he wants to push away. He wants to look the man in the eye and say that even the spirit used to call him by his name, and not care how “Bakura” will react.

But he does care — and “Bakura’s” body is warm, and tonight, Ryou would prefer his company.

“It’d just be nice,” he mutters, tucking his head under “Bakura’s” chin, “if you said my name every once in a—”

A loud, squeaking yelp escapes his throat, and he jumps, pressing against “Bakura’s” body and away from the hand grabbing his ass.

“ _Bakura!!_ ”

“Bakura” cackles, and Ryou angrily turns over, back pressed against the other’s chest and his knees pulled up so that all the dark hand can brush against is his shins.

He soon feels the other man’s arms slowly wrap around his waist and pull him close, and — despite himself — Ryou relaxes into the embrace once again.

“I mean it, though,” he murmurs, finally feeling exhaustion start to set in.

“I’m sure you do,” “Bakura” chuckles lightly, pressing his face lightly against Ryou’s tangled mess of hair. “I’ll think about it. Go to sleep.”

He sighs, then closes his eyes, letting sleep come over him.


	10. What's in a Name

“P-Please, Bakura, just say it—!”

Ryou lets out a choked moan, shuddering as he feels “Bakura’s” teeth sink into his neck.

“Say what, now?” the dark-skinned man purrs, dragging a hand down Ryou’s exposed chest.

“P-Please, Bakura,” the light-skinned man whimpers, shivering under the touch. “I just — I just want to hear you say my name, that’s all—”

“Bakura” chuckles darkly, letting go of Ryou’s neck to lightly press his lips against the other’s ear.

“You’ll have to _make_ me,” he murmurs, licking the outer shell of Ryou’s ear and feeling the man shudder against him. “Good luck on making _that_ happen—”

Neither of them are quite sure how, but in less than a moment, “Bakura’s” arms are pinned to the headboard, and Ryou stares hard into the dark-skinned man’s eyes.

“What — what the _hell_ are you doing?” “Bakura” growls, what pleasure he had been feeling quickly changing to frustration.

“S — Say it,” Ryou orders, his voice faltering briefly, filled with uncertainty. “I’m not letting you go until you do.”

“You’re _kidding_ me.” 

“ _Say. My. Name._ Or this ends now.”

“Bakura” scowls, pressing as hard against the headboard as he can — away from Ryou.

Finally, his lips part, and after a long moment of silence — 

“Ryou.” 

“Again.” 

“By the power of Ra, what more do you want from me?! I’ve said your name, now let me go, or I’ll—” 

His body freezes as Ryou leans close, his lips barely pressed against “Bakura’s” ear. 

“Like you _mean_ it,” he whispers, then pulls back to scowl faintly at the dark-skinned man.

For the first time he can remember, “Bakura” finds himself able only to stare — to notice the dark scowl, so out of place and yet so fitting — and slowly, without realizing:

“R… Ryou.”

His scowl morphs slowly into a smirk that his body hasn’t made in a long, long time. 

“ _Again,_ ” he breathes, his arms slackening against “Bakura’s” chest as he slides further down into his lap.

He reaches for Ryou’s hips, pulling the light-skinned man further against him. 

“Ryou,” “Bakura” breathes, unable to tear his gaze away from Ryou’s increasingly smug grin — so unlike him, and yet — 

“Yes?” he murmurs, tilting his head as he gently traces over “Bakura’s” lips with a pale finger.

A violent shudder shoots up his spine before he pulls Ryou hard against him, crashing the light-skinned man’s lips against his own. 

“If you’re going to do this to me, _Ryou,_ ” “Bakura” growls, his hands gripping Ryou’s body with a needing he hadn’t felt before, “then next time, do it _sooner._ ” 

Ryou chuckles, arching his body against “Bakura’s” as he feels his sharp teeth sink into his neck once more.


	11. Morning After

Ryou wakes up to a hand slowly running through his hair, pausing briefly to unknot each tangle it comes across. With a low groan, he nuzzles his face against the mattress, eyes still closed to block out the sun.

The hand in his hair moves to briefly caress his exposed back before pulling his body close to another.

“You’re going to have to tell me how you did that.”

Ryou finally opens his eyes to see “Bakura” looking down at him, a faint grin on his dark face.

“What…?” the light-skinned man mumbles, rubbing his head against “Bakura’s” arm. “What did I do this time?”

“That _thing_ you did last night,” “Bakura” grins, pressing his forehead against Ryou’s. “Whatever it was you did…”

He traces a finger down Ryou’s chest, eliciting a soft shiver from the other man.

“…I don’t think I’d mind if you did that more often,” he purrs, lips twisting into a smirk.

“W — What?” Ryou stammers, his face reddening. “I… I thought you didn’t like when — when I tried to take control of —”

“You try telling me what to do any other time, I’ll make you regret it,” “Bakura” shrugs, idly stroking Ryou’s face. “But it’s all about…”

He grabs the light-skinned man’s chin and turns his head, then moves close to brush his lips against Ryou’s ear.

“…the _timing,_ ” he finishes, a dark chuckle following his words.

Ryou gasps, squirming as “Bakura” drags a dark hand down his pale chest.

“Ba — Bakura, isn’t this — we just woke up….”

“Does that matter?” he laughs, biting along Ryou’s neck to coax out a soft moan.

“A-Ah — B-Bakura, you—”

“Come on. Let’s see if we can repeat last night, yeah?”

Ryou shudders, then — after a moment’s pause — grabs “Bakura’s” shoulders and shoves him onto his back.

“Hm? What are you—?”

“You just said you wanted to repeat last night, didn’t you?” Ryou breathes, rolling on top of “Bakura” and caressing his face. “Well, come on, then.”

“Bakura” blinks a couple times, then lets a smirk appear on his lips as he finally sits up.

“You’re letting me be a bad influence on you, _Ryou,_ ” he chuckles, his hands around Ryou’s waist as he gently kisses along the other’s neck. “I think I could get used to this.”

Ryou’s half-hearted answer turns into a shuddering moan as “Bakura’s” kisses turns into hard bites.


	12. But Not Forgotten

He wakes up to the feel of “Bakura’s” teeth on his neck and ice flowing in his veins.

“S-Stop that,” Ryou gasps, shoving the dark-skinned man away before he rolls over. “Leave me alone, Bakura.”

“What?” “Bakura” scowls, pushing himself up and scratching the side of his head. “Look, if you don’t _want_ to, you don’t have to be—”

“Just — leave me alone. _Please._ ”

Ryou curls his knees to his chest, trying to ignore the feeling of “Bakura’s” hard stare on his back in the darkness.

“You were dreaming about _him_ again, weren’t you?” he growls.

Ryou says nothing, but pulls the blanket higher over his body.

“I thought you said you were getting _over_ him,” the dark-skinned man snaps, his fists clenched.

“I can’t control what I _dream_ about, Bakura,” Ryou snaps back, but doesn’t even roll over to look at “Bakura” as he says this. “And after everything… it’s not so easy to just _forget_ all that.”

“Bakura” lets out a dismissive grunt and turns over, his back to Ryou as he lies back down.

He soon hears the dark-skinned man snoring, and Ryou curls his hands into the blanket, hearing the voice of the spirit from his nightmares torment him until sleep comes for him once more.


	13. Autopilot

He’s not sure why he didn’t check here first, but there is Ryou, hunched over the table like always, paintbrush in hand.

“Do you just _not sleep_ if nobody makes you?” “Bakura” complains, blinking hard as he shuffles over to the table and sits on the edge. “Do you just spend all your time working on _this?_ ”

“I… I have to… to finish it,” Ryou mumbles, his words slurred together as the brush hangs limply in his hand for a moment.

“Bakura” groans, rubbing his eyes.

“Come to bed, Ryou,” he says, brushing his foot against the light-skinned man’s leg. “It’s late. You can keep working on it tomorrow—”

“I need to finish it for the… the final game…”

“Hm?”

He finally looks over and notices the black circles under Ryou’s eyes.

“Th… that’s what you told me… isn’t it, Bakura?” the light-skinned man murmurs, his bloodshot eyes glazed over. “For your… you need this for… your game against the Pharaoh, right? Almost… I’m almost done, just…”

His voice trails off, and his whole body stays perfectly still, even as the paintbrush slips out of his hand and falls to the floor.

“Bakura” clenches his fists before shoving himself away from the desk, storming out of the workroom.

He locks the door to the bedroom behind him before he throws himself onto the mattress, eventually falling into a restless sleep.


	14. Sound of Silence (1/3)

“How do you turn this damn thing on?”

Ryou ignores “Bakura,” poring over his handbooks before scribbling down more notes in his notebook.

“Hey! I asked a question!” the dark-skinned man snaps, mashing random buttons on the remote. “How do you make this thing work?!”

“You press the power button, Bakura. Now _hush._ I’m trying to write a new campaign for my next game night.”

“Bakura” growls, but sits silently on the couch as he tries to figure out which button is the “power” button.

In the silence, Ryou realizes that he’s already used a side quest he has scribbled in the margins, and crosses it out.

He hears the high-pitched twing of the television turning on, but no other sound beside that.

“Why is there no sound!?”

“It’s just — there’s a little button that’s got a plus sign on it, just press that until it’s loud enough,” Ryou replies, setting his pencil on the table before he holds his head in his hands. “Ugh…”

“Bakura” shoots Ryou a sideways glance.

“If you’re tired of me interrupting you, then just come over here and teach me how to use this damn thing already,” he scowls, turning his attention back to the muted television.

“It’s not _that_ that’s bothering me,” the light-skinned man mutters, pushing himself away from the table before sighing. “It’s just…”

“Are you _really_ that worried about a _game?_ ”

“It — It’s not _just_ about the game, it’s that—”

“Because I’m damn sure your ‘friends’ aren’t going to care _nearly_ as much about your game as you do—”

“Bakura” looks over as he hears Ryou's fists slam on the table, and sees the other's face twisted in anger.

“E… Even if that were true,” Ryou hisses, body trembling from the unfamiliar feeling of rage, “maybe — maybe I’m not worried about _them._ Maybe I’m…”

“Maybe you’re _what?_ ” “Bakura” sneers, lips twisted in a dark grin.

“Maybe I’m just trying to make a game that _doesn’t_ sound like something that _Bakura_ would have written!”

The couch creaks as “Bakura” slowly rises to his feet.

“ _What did you say?_ ” he snarls, hands half-clenched into fists.

“You heard me,” Ryou growls, staring unflinchingly back into “Bakura’s” eyes. “That’s who he _is,_ after all. The side of you I first—”

He barely manages to duck his head out of the way of the remote, but can’t back up in time for “Bakura” storms to the table, shoving it hard against Ryou as though trying to knock him over.

“He is _not me!_ ” “Bakura” roars, slamming his fists onto the table. “And I am _not him!_ I never _will_ be him! _I_ am Bakura, and he’s just some — some _thing_ that’s been running around with _my name!_ And you — _you_ keep trying to make me _into him!_ ”

“I do _not!_ ” Ryou barks. “And even if I _were,_ then you’d be no better than I am!”

“ _I’m_ not trying to turn you into someone you’re—”

“ _Ten years!_ Do you not get it?! You just — you just fall into my life and demand that I forget someone like he never even _existed_ \-- someone who’s been in my head, a part of my _soul,_ for _ten years of my life!_ And for _what?!_ Because you don’t _like_ when I talk about him—!?”

His next words come out as a strangled gasp as “Bakura” grabs his throat, eyes flashing.

“ _Go ahead,_ ” he snarls, tightening his grip on Ryou’s neck as he holds the light-skinned man at arm’s length. “Finish that thought. I _dare_ you.”

Ryou claws at the dark hand around his neck, but still scowls at “Bakura,” too enraged to feel frightened.

“You’re pathetic,” the dark-skinned man growls. “How long do you plan on living your life in his shadow, huh? On being _second-best_ to someone who wasn't even _alive?_ ”

“Maybe he wasn’t a part of _your_ life,” Ryou snaps, his voice a breathy wheeze as he tries to breathe through “Bakura’s” hold. “But he — he was the only one there for me for most of _mine._ ”

He can feel the dark-skinned man’s arm trembling, and Ryou braces himself, waiting for—

“ _Fine._ ”

“Bakura” throws Ryou down onto the table, and the light-skinned man keeps sliding forward, finally crumpling on the ground.

“He’s obviously _so damn important_ to you that there’s really no place for me here,” he scowls, eyeing Ryou with disgust. “So _fine._ I’ll leave you here alone with your precious _memories,_ and see if I come back for you again!”

Ryou only looks up in time to see “Bakura” storming out the front door, slamming it shut behind him.

After several long moments, he pushes his torso off the ground, sitting on the floor as he scans the room.

At first, it feels… quiet. He can hear the static of the television just being on, and the sound of birds outside his window, but other than that — nothing. But this silence gnaws at him, makes him squirm in place — all the reactions that quietness had never given him before.

“…Ba… Bakura?”

Ryou shivers as he feels his words being swallowed up by a void he’s never felt before. Even in their silences, at least his words used to fall on _someone’s_ ears, but now… now…

He slowly realizes that it’s not silence he feels, but emptiness.


	15. Return (2/3)

He leaves the door open behind him, shuffling into the dark apartment, and leaving the lightswitch off.

His foot catches on a blanket lying on the floor, and he picks it up, half-heartedly throwing it towards the couch, thinking nothing of it —

Until he catches sight of the coffee table covered in bowls, still half-full of various foods.Frowning, he passes the work room, acting on a hunch.

He’s rewarded by the sight of Ryou sitting in his bed, hunched over a book in the darkness, eyes wide and body trembling.

“Bakura” says nothing, only kicking his shoes off before sliding into bed next to Ryou, wrapping his arms around the light-skinned man.

For full minutes, he is unmoving in the other’s dark arms, until finally he looks up and, in his hoarsest whisper —

“Bakura?”

“Yeah,” he murmurs, pulling Ryou tight against his chest. “It’s me.”

Slowly — mechanically — Ryou turns in “Bakura’s” arms to rest in his embrace.

“I… forgot what it was like, to… to be alone,” he mumbles, words slurring together. “I had a, a… a hard time adjusting, ahaha…”

His hollow laughter dies quickly, and he lies in “Bakura’s” arms for a moment before letting his hands curl in the other man’s shirt.

“You’re… you’re back now, right?” he whispers, unable to hide the crack in his voice. “I’m not, not imagining — you, you’re _here,_ right?”

“Bakura” pauses before stroking Ryou’s hair, pressing his lips to the light-skinned man’s forehead.

“Go to sleep, Ryou,” he murmurs, holding the other close.

“W — Will you still be here when… when I wake up…?”

He sinks into the mattress, pulling Ryou down with him.

“Just go to sleep.”

Finally, Ryou nods, and lets his dark-circled eyes slide closed.

“Bakura” soon feels Ryou breathing slowly against his chest, and wraps his arms around the other’s waist, drifting off to sleep himself.


	16. False Apologies (3/3)

He slumps back against the wall, shivering as what little warmth he feels rapidly dissipates, and waits for “Bakura” to roll away from him, like always.

He doesn’t expect the dark-skinned man to instead lean close and softly — carefully, almost — press his lips against his neck.

“Bakura?” Ryou asks, his voice low he cranes his neck slightly away. “What are you—?”

“Just… be quiet for a moment.”

Confused, Ryou nevertheless falls silent, instead letting his fingers loosely tangle themselves in the other’s hair.

He half-expects the gentle kisses on his neck to turn back into the hard, bruising bites “Bakura” had been leaving not minutes prior, but they stay soft — almost unnervingly so.

Slowly, he feels “Bakura’s” arms wrap around his body, then pull him close.

“Bakura…?”

This time, he says nothing, only resting his chin on Ryou’s shoulder as he tightens his hold on the pale man’s body.

After a moment, Ryou finally lets himself sink into the embrace, his arms sliding over “Bakura’s” shoulders as he does so.

“…I’m tired of having to share you.”

The words catch Ryou off-guard, but he doesn’t react, save for the slight tensing of his hands.

“He’s not here anymore,” “Bakura” continues, and Ryou can feel the dark-skinned man’s nails dig into his back. “But you still see _him_ when you look at me, don’t you? And I hate it. I hate feeling like I have to compete with a memory.”

His mind screams for him to push “Bakura” away, to shove him off and to storm out, to leave, to never come back. It tells him to scream that he’ll never understand what it’s like to live as a spectator in his own body, to exist in the shadow of a spirit, to be surrounded by people and yet be so _alone_ —

He tenses his body, opens his mouth —

“…I’m sorry.”

“Bakura” snorts, but lets his arms slacken around Ryou.

Ryou settles for sinking into the dark-skinned man’s embrace, swallowing back his anger.


	17. Snake

“Ryou, look — _look!_ ”

He sighs, setting the mixing bowl on the kitchen counter before stepping into the living room.

“What is it, Bakura?” he begins, eyes falling on the dark-skinned man before following his hand to the television. “What did you see—”

Ryou feels the blood freeze in his veins as he sees the python on the screen devouring its meal.

“I’d hate to be that bird,” “Bakura” chuckles, leaning closer to the television. “You know, we should get a snake, Ryou. It’d be great!”

“We are _not_ getting a snake,” Ryou answers with great finality as he rushes back into the kitchen, his already-pale face now ashen. “And that’s _final._ ”

“Ahh, you’re no fun!”

“I’ve _told_ you, I _don’t like snakes!_ And besides that, where would we _keep_ it? There’s not a lot of room in this apartment, even for just the two of us.”

“We could keep it in the bedroom—”

“ _Absolutely not._ And anyways, snakes are really—”

“Oh…”

Ryou notices the sudden drop in “Bakura’s” voice, and — against his better judgement — steps back into the living room.

He notices the white snake slithering across the screen, and “Bakura’s” wide-eyed stare.

“It… it looks like Diabound did,” the dark-skinned man mumbles, watching intently. “When I was a child…”

For several moments, only the program narrator’s voice breaks the silence.

“I want a snake, Ryou,” “Bakura” finally says, much quieter than before.

“…but they’re expensive,” Ryou sighs, more in defeat than exasperation. “I don’t have a lot of money, Bakura. I already have to ask my father for money for the rent…”

“Bakura” says nothing, instead keeping his gaze fixed on the television.

Ryou slips back into the kitchen, deep in thought.


	18. One of the Animals

_(4:03 PM) Yugi: so Bakura got thrown out of the zoo_

Ryou can only bring himself to stare at his phone, even long after the screen fades back to black.

_(4:06 PM) Me: What do you mean, “Bakura got thrown out of the zoo”?_   
_(4:06 PM) Me: I didn’t know he was with you, anyway_

When his phone doesn’t light back up right away, Ryou sets it back down, mentally reviewing the extensive list of things “Bakura” could have done to get himself thrown out.

_(4:08 PM) Yugi: he wasn’t with us. Anzu and I are here and we just saw him_   
_(4:09 PM) Yugi: security was dragging him out of the desert exhibit_

The list quickly shrinks in Ryou’s mind, and he grabs his phone again, waiting for confirmation...

_(4:11 PM) Yugi: they said something about walking out the interactive exhibit w/ten snakes around his neck_

He groans loudly, his head dropping onto the keyboard and resting there until his laptop beeps angrily at him.

_(4:14 PM) Me: And yet somehow, I’m not surprised. Did they kick him out of the zoo, or just the exhibit?_   
_(4:15 PM) Yugi: pretty sure the zoo itself. this was only like 15 mins ago_

Ryou grimaces, but thinks this should give him enough time to hide his more fragile possessions.

_(4:17 PM) Me: Thanks for the warning. Have fun with Anzu, tell her I said hi._   
_(4:18 PM) Yugi: np I will. good luck_

He shoves his phone in his pocket as he stands up, picking up his laptop and heading to his workshop to hide it.


	19. Skeletons

“Well, at least _your_ day sounds like it went well.”

“Better than yours, at any rate.”

Ryou chuckles, lightly tracing his finger around the edge of his soda can.

“I’m just glad he didn’t see me and Anzu on his way out of the zoo,” Yugi shrugs, rapidly tapping buttons on the controller. “I’d hate to think how much angrier he’d have gotten, then taken it out on you…”

“He actually didn’t really do anything when he got home,” Ryou says, watching Yugi’s character slay monsters on-screen. “Well… he may have overturned the table and sulked for a bit, but he didn’t _break_ anything this time.”

Yugi shakes his head.

“I still don’t understand how you bear to live with him,” he mutters, his eyes squinted in concentration. “All these stories you have of him… and every time I see him, it never ends well. Sometimes, I wonder if he’s worse than Mali—”

“ _Don't._ ”

Yugi looks over briefly as he hears the sound of Ryou's clenching fists collapse his can.

" _Nothing_ Bakura's done has even come _close_ to what Malik put me through," Ryou growls, and Yugi notices the hard flash in the other's eyes. "You _saw_ what he did to me. Don't you _even_ compare them."

Yugi quickly turns his head back, and Ryou can feel his uncomfortable silence as he resumes the game.

"...sorry," he finally sighs, relaxing his grip on the crumpled soda can. "I didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's just... thinking about all the shit I put up with from Malik, when in the end he was just waiting for me to turn back into the spirit..."

“...Isn’t that what you’re doing?”

Ryou looks over, and sees the dark scowl on Yugi’s face.

“Bakura isn’t ‘replacing’ anyone,” he protests, eyes narrowed.

“Of course he isn’t,” Yugi snaps, his neck muscles tightening. “It’s not like you, y’know, _left_ me the moment you found out who he was.”

“Yugi, I—”

“Were you not happy? Was I — what, was I not _good_ enough for you?” Yugi continues, his voice shaking, just a little. “/Cause I went through _five months_ of you constantly talking about the spirit, but — but you stayed, and you'd come back, so I thought maybe… maybe you _wanted_ to be with me. But then _he_ showed up, and you—”

“Yugi, stop,” Ryou protests, hands flexing back as he looks away. “It’s not that simple—”

“I don’t see what’s complicated about leaving me for someone that reminds you of a dead person,” Yugi snaps, his voice now cold.

“Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have left me for the Pharaoh if you saw him again—”

“No! I _wouldn’t!_ Not like _you_ left _me,_ because I was _happy_ being with you! And that man you dropped me for — he’s not even who you want him to be! He’s _not_ the spirit, Ryou — you’ve told me that _yourself!_ So _sorry_ if I seem a little bitter, but—”

A cry from the television makes them both look, where they see that Yugi’s character — forgotten in their quarrel — lies motionless on the screen, covered by a “Game Over.”

“… just… go,” Yugi finally sighs, sinking back into the couch with a sullen expression.

“Yugi—”

“ _Go,_ Ryou.”

After a moment’s silence, Ryou picks himself off the couch, shuffling towards the front door.

Yugi says nothing as Ryou slams the door shut behind him.


	20. (In)Sincerity

“I was wondering where you’d run off to.”

Ryou blinks, then shuts the door behind him, hanging his keys on the command hook by the door.

“I went to hang out with Yugi,” he replies, joining “Bakura” in the living room and slumping into what free space is left on the couch. “I haven’t seen him in a while, so…”

“Bakura” snorts, not bothering to scoot over to make room for Ryou.

“I dunno where these people got their information from, but it’s pretty much all wrong,” “Bakura” says, gesturing towards the documentary playing on the television. “If they spent even five minutes in my time, they wouldn’t even know how to—”

“Hey… Bakura?”

“Eh?”

Ryou grabs at his own hands, looking down into his lap to avoid “Bakura’s” gaze.

“I… I wanted to apologize,” he finally says, voice soft. “I… I’ve been still comparing you to — to _him,_ but… that isn’t fair. It isn’t… _right._ And I don’t, I don’t _mean_ to do it, but…”

In the face of the other’s continued silence, Ryou finally dares to look up.

He notices “Bakura’s” frown, and — for one cold, fearful moment — wonders if his apology sounds as false to the other as it feels on his lips.

“…so, is that what you two were talking about?”

Ryou looks back down, ashamed to feel as relieved as he does.

“Yeah,” he murmurs, curling his toes around the couch cushion he sits on. “I’m sorry…”

The sound of the television fills the silence between them, until —

“Get over here.”

Surprised, Ryou glances up as he feels “Bakura” shift his legs — but complies, scooting over to sit in the other’s lap, head resting against his chest.

“I suppose if I can’t get you to stop thinking about him,” “Bakura” mutters, one hand idly stroking Ryou’s hair, “Then I can at least accept your apology.”

“Mmh… Thank you, Bakura,” Ryou sighs, relaxing as he feels the other’s fingers run through his hair.

“Mm. Just try not to bring him up so often anymore, yeah?”

Ryou doesn’t respond to that, instead closing his eyes to let the sense of calm roll over him.


	21. Rolling Ones (1/3)

“I’m coming, I’m _coming!_ Just _give me a minute!_ ”

Only barely able to hear “Bakura” through the door, Ryou knocks harder, his free hand still holding a mass of paper towels to his nose.

“This had better be _important,_ or I’ll make _sure_ you’ll—”

The front door finally flings open, and “Bakura’s” threat dies on his lips as he sees Ryou standing in the hall, barefoot and bloody.

“ _Ryou!?_ What the hell happened—!?”

“Just — just let me _in,_ Bakura,” Ryou pleads, pushing past the other in his stumbling shuffle towards the living room.

“Bakura” shuts the door behind Ryou, then marches over to the couch just as Ryou collapses onto it.

“What happened?” he demands, hands clenched into fists.

“Just — can you _give_ me a minute to calm down before you start doing that, at least?” Ryou snaps back, but can’t stop his body and voice from shaking. “Just… give me a minute.”

The frown doesn’t leave “Bakura’s” face, but he lets his hands fall to his sides, eyes watching Ryou intently as the other breathes deeply.

“…I was… I was walking home from game night,” Ryou finally begins, voice much softer now. “I took the same shortcut I usually do… But there were these guys, and they started following me, and… and…”

“Bakura” sits on the coffee table across from Ryou, hands on his knees as he studies Ryou’s expression.

“Where did this happen?” he growls, eyes narrowing.

“Be… behind the other game shop… Black Clown, I think? The one Otogi’s family runs,” Ryou responds, pulling the paper towels from his nose for a moment to see if the bleeding’s finally stopped. “I mean, he wasn’t _involved,_ it’s — it’s just where it happened—”

“Yeah, yeah, your friends’ innocence isn’t important right now. What’d they take, Ryou?”

Ryou frowns at “Bakura,” then sighs.

“My coat and my shoes,” he begins, closing his eyes as he thinks. “My keys and my phone were in my coat. They also took my wallet… and my bag with all my game stuff in it. I think that’s all that was in it…? I’ll… I’ll have to cancel my cards in the morning, and…”

Ryou trails off as he watches “Bakura” rise to his feet.

“Bakura? Where are you—?”

He quickly falls silent again as the other places his hands firmly on Ryou’s shoulders.

“Set the lock behind me,” “Bakura instructs, the hard frown still on his face. “And if anyone knocks, don’t answer the door. I’ll let you know when I’m back, alright?”

“Wh—”

“Bakura” whirls away from Ryou, already marching towards the door.

“W-Wait, Bakura!” Ryou calls, scrambling to his feet. “It — it’s not worth it, all that stuff can be replaced—”

His words fall on deaf ears, and Ryou cringes a bit as “Bakura” slams the front door behind him without so much as a backward glance.

After a moment, he tentatively approaches the front door — and, with slightly shaking hands, sets the security lock.

Ryou shuffles back to the couch, sinking into the cushions, acutely aware of the emptiness of the apartment around him.


	22. Vigilantism (2/2)

Ryou’s heart skips a beat as he hears someone pound at the door, the hard knocks snapping him from the edge of sleep.

“Oi, Ryou! I’m back! You still awake in there?!”

“… Not…Not so _loud,_ Bakura,” Ryou half-shouts, half-grumbles as he peels himself off the couch, stumbling tiredly to the front door. “The neighbors are sleeping at this hour…”

He fumbles with the security lock momentarily, but eventually gets the front door open, and is greeted by “Bakura,” who has a familiar bag slung over his shoulder.

“You… got my stuff back?”

“Wasn’t that hard to find them,” “Bakura” huffs, brushing past Ryou back into the living room. “I didn’t check the bag to see what was in it, but they shouldn’t bother you again.”

Ryou lingers in the doorway as “Bakura” haphazardly sets the bag on the coffee table before sinking into the couch.

“…you didn’t have to do that,” he finally murmurs, closing the front door once more.

“But I did. What, are you gonna tell me to give it back to them? It’s your stuff—”

“I’m not going to do that,” Ryou interrupts, his voice as firm as he can make it with how little sleep he’s had. “But, next time… Next time, just _please_ stay here with me, like I asked… okay?”

“What, you want me to just sit here and let you get robbed like a—”

“ _Bakura._ ”

“ _Alright!_ Alright,” “Bakura” snaps, huffing as he sees the aggravated look Ryou shoots him. “Just trying to fix the situation, but if you don’t _want_ me to, then I _won’t._ ”

Ryou’s frustration starts to fade, and he joins “Bakura” in the living room, slowly lowering himself onto the couch beside the other.

“…I’m sorry,” he mumbles, finally allowing the exhaustion to creep into his voice. “I… I appreciate it, it’s just… You left so quickly, and I was still processing what’d happened…”

With a sigh, Ryou slumps back into the couch, eyes closing.

“…I just wanted you to stay with me. That’s all.”

There’s a palpable silence in the apartment before Ryou hears the sound of “Bakura” shifting on the couch, and soon after, he feels the weight of his bag being set on his lap.

“Huh…?”

“…I just kind of crammed everything in there,” “Bakura” mutters, half-heartedly hiding the softness in his voice. “You might want to check to make sure everything’s actually there.”

Breathing in loudly through his nose, Ryou opens his eyes, feebly patting at the bag before starting to unpack it.

“…my shoes are still missing,” he finally sighs, as he pulls out his coat and throws it onto the coffee table. “But… it looks like everything else is in here, so…”

“Tch… thought I got it all.”

“It’s okay… I didn’t really like those shoes, anyway,” Ryou replies, looking up at “Bakura” with a tired smile. “…thank you, Bakura.”

“Bakura” grunts in acknowledgement, reaching up to brush away Ryou’s hair from his face.

“It’s not a big deal,” he finally says, unable to keep a touch of softness out of his rough voice. “Just… quit taking back-alley ways to get home already. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, remember?”

“Mm… I’ll remember next time,” Ryou nods, closing his eyes. “But right now… I just want to go to bed.”

“Come on, then. I’ll help you there, but like hell I’m gonna carry you.”

Ryou snorts, but rises to his feet, letting himself lean against “Bakura” as they both finally go to the bedroom.


	24. Diabound

“Will you just _tell me_ what this is about, Ryou?!”

“If you’d stop having a fit, you’d have _seen_ by now. Just follow me, alright?”

Despite “Bakura’s” scowl and his own waning patience, Ryou has to bite back a grin, pulling on the other’s arm to drag him back into the apartment.

“I _mean it,_ ” “Bakura” growls, kicking the front door shut behind him. “I don’t appreciate being thrown out of my own damn home for no reason—”

“I had to get it _ready,_ Bakura,” Ryou answers, lips still threatening to twist into a smile. “You’ll like it, you’ll see.”

“Bakura” growls, but says nothing more as Ryou pulls him towards the closed door of the workshop.

“Are you ready?” Ryou asks, hand reaching out to grip the doorknob.

“Just get _on with it,_ Ryou.”

The pale man huffs, but nevertheless turns the knob, pushing the door open and pulling “Bakura” in.

“There.”

He sees it instantly — the large glass cage set up on the once-empty side table, partly filled with dark mulch, with a black plastic castle nestled in the corner.

“You kicked me out all day to set up an empty cage?”

“Just go over and _look,_ Bakura.”

With an aggravated groan, “Bakura” walks over to the cage, crouching down to peer into it.

“I don’t see why you had to kick me out for _this,_ ” he snaps. “It can’t _possibly_ have taken you _that_ long to set up something as simple as… this…”

The words die on his lips as the pale head of a snake pokes out from inside the castle, tongue flickering out towards him.

“…you… got me a snake.”

Ryou finally lets a smile spread across his face as he sees the snake slither out of its hide box, creeping close to the glass.

“I thought you said we couldn’t afford one,” “Bakura” says, not looking away from the cage.

“The museum downtown has a new exhibit opening soon,” Ryou starts to explain, rubbing the back of his neck. “When you’d go on your long walks, I went down there to help them prepare the exhibit. I made some extra money that way.”

“And they just let you do that?”

“Well, my father’s the museum curator, so…”

His words trail off, leaving a momentary silence between the two.

“…It’s an albino king snake,” Ryou finally explains. “From what I’ve read, they’re pretty easy to care for… In case you want me to help take care of it.”

“Bakura” lightly taps the glass where the snake presses its head against it, transfixed by its pale lavender and yellow markings.

“I can take care of Diabound just fine on my own,” he answers. “…thank you, Ryou.”

Ryou smiles, then quietly slinks away from the workshop, leaving “Bakura” alone with Diabound.


End file.
